Again, court quashes Zamfara PDP guber primary, NNPP collapses structure for APC 

A Federal High Court sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State, has nullified the governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state for the second time.

This was as all existing structures of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) were collapsed in favour of Governor Bello Matawalle’s All Progressives Congress (APC). 

Justice Aminu Bappa-Aliyu nullified the Zamfara PDP governorship primary that produced Dr. Dauda Lawal-Dare for the 2023 general elections.

Delivering his judgment, yesterday, Bappa-Aliyu held that the PDP lost the opportunity to field a candidate in the polls for failing to conduct primary in line with the guidelines of the Electoral Act 2022.

The same court had, on September 16, nullified the first exercise, following alleged irregularities in the governorship primary conducted on May 25, 2022.

Two governorship aspirants, Dr. Ibrahim Shehu-Bakauye and Hafiz Muhammad, had, after the second exercise, approached the court seeking nullification of the second primary conducted on September 23. They prayed the court to declare the exercise null and void for failing to meet the conditions as stipulated in Section 82 (1 and 5) of the Electoral Act.

However, Bappa-Aliyu ruled that the primaries conducted by the PDP were unlawful, as they did not follow guidelines of the Electoral Act.

He said since the PDP, along with other defendants, failed to comply with Section 82 (1 and 5) of the Electoral Act, it was not qualified to field a governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections in the state.

After the judgment, counsel to the plaintiff, Ibrahim Aliyu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau that the Electoral Act stipulated that, for a political party to conduct a congress, executives conference or a convention, it shall give 21 days notice before conducting such exercise.

THE collapse of NNPP structures for APC was made known by the former’s outgone Organising Secretary in the state, Babangida Damba, when he led the state executives, on behalf of the Chairman, Muhammad Anka, and party chairmen in the 10 local councils, who defected with their supporters to APC at the Government House, on Monday.

A statement by Zamfara APC Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Gusau, quoted Damba as saying that they decided to join Matawalle in APC because NNPP lacked internal democracy and focus, a strong indication that it would lose the 2023 election. 

He added that NNPP had been dead at its formative stage in the state, as it was engulfed in protracted crises and ran by one unpopular person.

According to him, the NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, is in the race as a spoiler and ready to bury the party after the polls.

Welcoming the defectors to the Government House, Matawalle expressed happiness and commended them for their decision to join the APC.

The governor said APC would continue to receive more defectors and supporters in the state for many reasons, including its fairness to all members, its inclusiveness, love for peace, provision of dividends of democracy and, above all, the people’s goodwill.